I have often (though perhaps unfairly) lamented the lack of good food on-campus. Although Palo Alto is but a bike ride away, the Stanford Bubble traps me to dining halls, Subway, Olive’s, Treehouse, and the like. The latest buzz in campus eateries, however, is the opening of Ike’s Place in Huang Engineering Center.

If you’re unfamiliar with it, Ike’s Place began in San Francisco as a sandwich shop on an unsuspecting city block. Soon, lines began to wrap around the building with hungry customers anxious to taste the freshly-baked bread and “dirty sauce.” Offering over 100 sandwiches with silly names such as “Backstabber,” “Napoleon Complex,” and “[Name of Girl I’m Dating]”*, Ike’s Place has become a neighborhood staple with its own rabid fan base, even if it maybe isn’t supposed to be there.

I'm standing at the end of the line.

Likely attracted by the glitz and glamour of our new Engineering Quad, Ike’s Place lies in the heart of the excitement on the main floor of the octagon in the middle of the quad. By the current decorations, you might never know as there isn’t even a sign to indicate its presence. What might tip you off, however, is the long line of what appear to be mostly graduate students. Although it has been open for no longer than maybe a week, business was still strong when I dropped by around 1, hoping to miss the main mealtime madness.

The first two of heads-ups and goings-on that I unilaterally and unequivocally deem important share a common theme: they’re just not uplifting.

Kim was beloved on campus for his unforgettable personality in addition to his culinary mastery.

-Lag Late Night manager Kim Hess–known ubiquitously by his first name–passed away on Sunday unexpectedly at the age of 58. Simply put, it is widely known that Kim was one of the major reasons that Lag Late Night is so much better than Stern Late Night–enough of a reason to inspire many late night aficionados from East Campus to make the long haul out to Lag. The news was announced via Facebook.

-Despite significant progress on the campus Israeli-Palestinian relations front, other news is far more disheartening. At a speech at UCSD, conservative Jewish author David Horowitz responded to a leader of UCSD’s Muslim Student Association by asking whether or not she supported Hezbollah in wanting Jews dead, and she replied in the affirmative. You can watch the video here–it’s about as disconcerting as it gets. At the same time, Peter Beinart at the New York Review of Books writes a fascinating piece on American Jewish liberalism, but prominently mentioned in the piece is an equally disturbing trend: Israeli foreign policy is becoming quickly more inclined to positions that are harsher towards Arabs–a sentiment grounded in stark hatred.

Disclaimer: The noteworthiness and subjective value in these items is solely based on the opinion of this post’s author (me), as are the noteworthiness and subjective value of the occasionally snarky commentary. Except for mourning Kim–we all agree that he will be missed dearly. That’s a fact.